World Cup in Qatar: The Perfect Storm for Showcasing Beautiful Islam

A New Prism For The World To See Islam Through

The 2022 Soccer World Cup in Qatar was spectacular in many ways. Firstly, it was the first time that an event of this magnitude was held in a Muslim country. Secondly, the event was opened with the recitation of the Quran, something that had never happened before in the long history of World Cup Soccer. If fact, no one would have thought that this was even possible, especially given the fact that Qatar had received the worst characterizations for years leading to this momentous event. The host Qatar did not only dismantle the web of deceit and lies about itself and Muslims in general, but it also single handedly did it in a way that created a new prism through with the world has begun to see Islam and Muslims.

The World Cup was the perfect storm for showcasing true Islam, not the Islam the Western Media and propagandists habitually sell to the world. And Qatar, its host, was spectacular par excellence in showing true Islam in contrast to the distorted image of Islam that many people had heard about before visiting Qatar for the World Cup. Hosting the World Cup transformed Qatar overnight into the gateway to a new understanding and appreciation of Islam. However, becoming the linchpin for the birth of this new enlightenment about Islam and Muslims was no easy feat.

A Targeted Campaign Against Qatar

Qatar was a villain and should not have been allowed to be the host of the World Cup in the first place. That was the narrative of some Western governments.. Through the western media, they harangued the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the world about Qatar’s poor record on human rights and on the rule of law. As they were expected to do, the western media lost no time in fulfilling their duty. They spewed their governments’ warped views on Qatar and Muslims, arguing that Qatar was not eligible to host the World Cup because of human rights issues. However, despite their history of immeasurable success in undermining Muslims and in casting Islam in the worst light, they failed to achieve their objectives vis a vis Qatar. In fact, theirs was a colossal failure. Qatar had understood that the opportunity to host the World Cup would be a once in a lifetime chance to show the reality from the myth about Islam and Muslims.

That was why Qatar did the unthinkable: They started with the recitation of the Quran. The sheer unconventionality of this approach at this level of sports might have even caught some Muslims by surprise. To appreciate this bold approach, one only needs to recall all the bad things that had been said about Qatar and Muslims before the World Cup got underway. Bur rather than trying to appease the self-righteous critics of Islam and Muslims to remain in good standing, Qatar threw a hard punch. It made the Quran the epicenter of the inaugural portion of this great event. And in doing so, it affirmed-to the delight of hundreds of millions of Muslims- a central belief of Muslims: It is not conceivable to begin any event without reciting the Quran and praising Allah and without sending salutations on His beloved and final Messenger (PBUH).

Apparently understanding that half measures seldom work when you undertake to promote Islam, Qatar decided to go all the way. It prohibited the sale of alcohol -the sweetheart of Western societies-at all the stadiums used for the soccer games. Can you imagine telling FIFA before the tournament began that this was how the host Qatar would have it? It is estimated that Qatar spent over $220 billion in preparation for hosting the World Cup. Many would have expected that this phenomenon, coupled with the intransigence of some powerful nations, would have caused Qatar to put economics, world prestige, and relationships above the need to display the true Islam. Qatar was firm and unflinching. And contrary to the expectation that Qatar would be the object of harsh criticisms and ridicule by fans in Qatar because of such an unprecedented move, fans lavished praise on the host country, telling stories of how safe they felt because of the ban on alcohol. In essence, this was a recognition that core Islamic practices guarantee true happiness and fulfillment. It also debunked an important myth -Qatar’s ineligibility because of poor human rights records.

A Clear Double Standard

It needs to be made clear that there is nothing wrong to set conditions for awarding certain privileges, such as the right to host a World Cup, for instance, on how well stage actors behave towards their own citizens as well as towards other peoples and nations. Arguably, there is consensus on this. The granting or the withholding of privileges must be conditioned on moral principles. But the vexing question is why was Qatar singled out for such inordinate attention? The answer is that the objection to Qatar is underpinned by hypocrisy and Islamophobia. Every country, including Qatar, should be held accountable for human right abuses. Nevertheless, to put Qatar in such a negative spotlight at this juncture – when it would the first Muslim country to host the World Cup and when it would do so much to counter negative perceptions-shows that the whole intent was to stymie the spread of Islam. The opposite happened.

Qatar Was A Clear Winner

Mainstream media as well as locals reported that hundreds of fans accepted Islam in Qatar during the tournament. This was significant in the context of all the harsh and derogatory things that had been said about Qatar and Muslims. Imagine coming into Qatar, a Muslim country, to look at the games with so much of distorted information about Islam and Muslims on your mind! Imagine being told that alcohol would not be allowed in the stadiums! That was certainly the case. However, the behavior of the common Muslims, the hospitality of the citizens of Qatar, the ready availability of information on Islam, the ability to listen to the recitation of the Quran, the courtesy of the Qatari authorities, the access to beautiful Masjids and other Islamic places of interest, and the feeling of absolute security helped to dispel all those negatives and replaced them with a feeling of awe and respect. This made Qatar and Islam the clear winner.